Radial hinge assembly



Nov. 25, 1969 A, J, ABBOTT 3,479,684

RADIAL HINGE AS SEMBLY Filed May 12. 1967 FIGA.

INVENTOR.

ALFRED J. A BBOTT BY KAN E,DALSIMER,KANE,SULLIVAN and SMITH United States Patent O 3,479,684 RADIAL HINGE ASSEMBLY Alfred J. Abbott, 1701 Central Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12205 Filed May 12, 1967, Ser. No. 638,099 Int. Cl. E05d 3/08 U.S. Cl. 16-163 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A radial hinge assembly including a vertical member and a radial arm mounted at each end thereof and means for pivotally mounting the radial hinge to a door opening and means for pivotally mounting and supporting the door at the ends of the radial arms thereon so that in use the door will have a pivotal and translating movement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the past many balanced door assemblies of the type employing pivot arms for mounting a door at one end thereof while the other end of the pivot arms are mounted to a door jamb have been used. These assemblies include many intricate mechanisms ifor vertically adjusting the door to provide door check assemblies and for converting a balanced door to a panic door assembly. Further, when employing pivot arms, the weight of the door is supported by the lower arm while the upper arm maintains the door in a vertical position. Door assemblies of this type require many parts to be assembled within the door jam-b, sill and header so as to conceal the mechanism for mounting the door.

It is a primary feature of the present invention to provide an assembly for mounting a door of the balanced type wherein a minimum number of parts are required, vertical adjustment is eliminated when the door has been properly installed and the weight of the door is supported by the entire mounting assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My invention contemplates providing a radial hinge of the unitary type adapted for mounting a door within a door frame so that the door is provided with a pivotal and translating motion when in use. The hinge includes a vertical member having a radial arm extending from each end thereof and aligned along the vertical axis of the member so as to provide a unitary hinge substantially in the form of a U. The vertical member is provided with radial hinge pivot means for mounting the radial hinge within an opening, for example, a door frame, and means are provided at each end of the radial arms for pivotally mounting and supporting a door thereon, the door and hinge pivot means being spaced from each other a distance approximately 25% of the door opening whereby the door may be opened or closed by a minimum amount of force applied thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view partially in section and partially broken away showing the assembly of a door mounted in a door frame on a radial hinge according to the invention herein;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational view showing the pivot means provided at each end of the radial arms for mounting and supporting the door as viewed along the lines 2 2 of FIG. 1; and

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FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are plan views as seen from the top showing the door is closed, partially open and open positions, employing the radial hinge of the invention herein.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a door 10 of a conventional type such as used in public buildings having top, bottom and vertical side members 12, 13, 14 and 15. forming a metal frame with glass 16 mounted therein is shown mounted inua door frame having jambs 17 and 18, header 19 and si 20.

Radial hinge 22 comprises a vertical support member 24 having radial ar-ms 26 and 28 at each end thereof and aligned along the vertical axis of the member so as to provide a unitary member substantially in the form of a U. Radial arms 26 and 28 are formed having an offset 29 and 30 formed at the ends thereof so as to provide a surface for mounting pivot pins 31 and 32. Mounted on the outer face of top and bottom members 12 and 13 of door 10 are housings or pivot pin receivers 34 and 36 having bore openings substantially equal to the diameter of pins 31 and 32 for pivotally mounting and supporting door 10 on radial hinge 22 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A second pair of pivot pins 37 and 38 are mounted in sill 20 and header 19, respectively, adjacent jamb or butt side 17 of the door frame. Bore openings 39 and 35 are formed in the ends of vertical supporting member 24 of radial hinge 22 and are of a size substantially equal to the diameter of pins 37 and 38 for pivotally mounting radial hinge 22 to the adjacent jamb of the door frame. The radial hinge provided herein and as seen in FIGS. l and 2 is mounted on the exterior side of the door in overlapping position and is in substantial face-to-face contact with the frame of door 10. Also, vertical side 15 of the door and vertical support member 24 are substantially aligned so that the end surfaces thereof lie substantially in the same vertical plane, as seen in FIG. 2.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, when door 10 is opened by pushing on side 15 thereof the door will pivot about door pivot pins 31 and 32 and at the same time radial hinge 22 will pivot about radial hinge pivot pins 37 and 38. Also, as the door is being pivoted radially to an open position it is also moving laterally toward the butt or hinge side 17 of the door frame. It has unexpectedly been found that where the distance between the radial hinge pivot pins and the door pivot pins is maintained at approximately twenty-tive percent of the width of the door, the radial and translating motion of the door is such that the door will open with a minimum of force being applied thereto.

Closure guide assembly 40 is mounted on inner face of top member 12 of door 10 and comprises a surface mounted closure device 41 of the type commercially available having a piston and piston cylinder operated by air so that as the door is opened the piston cylinder is iilled with air and when closed the air is expelled slowly to allow the door to return to its original position. A vertical arm 42, operatively connected to the air piston assembly of closure device 40 is pivotally connected to roller guide bar 43. Roller guide bar 43 has mounted thereon at least a pair of roller guides 44 and 45 adjacent each end thereof. A roller guide channel 46 is disposed above and in vertical alignment with closure guide assembly 41 and mounted on the inner face of header 19 of the door frame. A pair of adjustable bumpers 47 and 48 are mounted in fixed position and are provided with resilient cushioning -means 49 and 50, respectively. One end of bar 43 will contact cushioning means 49 when the door is fully opened, as shown in FIG. 5, and the other end of bar 43 will contact cushioning means 50 when the door is in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 3. The cushioning means are provided to absorb any excess forces exerted by the opening and closing of the door. It also has been found that when mounting the closure device on`the door with respect to the radial hinge pivot means, so as to maintain a minimum amount of force to open and close the door and to effect a proper translating motion while the door is being opened and closed the pivot point of the closure device 41, i.e., the center pivot point at which the vertical arm 42 is mounted to roller guide bar 43, is approximately forty percent of the opening from the butt side 17 of the door frame. v

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS When employing a radial hinge assembly for mounting a door thereon in a door frame in accordance with the invention herein, radial hinge 22 is pivotally mounted adjacent door jamb 17 in a vertical position. To facilitate mounting radial hinge 22, one or both of pivot pins 37 and 38 mounted in sill 20 and header 19 may be adjustable inwardly and outwardly, Radial hinge 22 is mounted on pivot pin 38 in bore opening 35 and then pivot pin 37 is adjusted inwardly to extend into bore opening 39 so that radial hinge 22 is pivotally mounted in a vertical position. Pivot pins 37 and 38 are disposed in vertical alignment so that they lie in the vertical plane of radial hinge 22 and will pivot about a common axis taken along the vertical center line of pivot pins 37 and 38.

Door 10 is fitted into the door frame and is adjusted so that the desired clearance around the perimeter of the door is maintained with respect to the inner surfaces of the door frame. Pivot pin retainers 34 and 36 are mounted on pivot pins 31 and 32 as shown in FIG. 1. Thereafter, pivot pin retainers 34 and 36 are rigidly mounted to top and bottom frame members 12 and 13 of door 10. The positioning of pivot pin retainers 34 and 36 and door pivot pins 31 and 32, respectively, is such that they are mounted in fixed position so as to be approximately twenty-five percent of the width of the door measured from the jamb or butt side 17 of the door frame. By exerting a force adjacent side 14 of door 10 along the inner face thereof, the door will be caused to pivot radially outwardly and at the same time the door will traverse laterally to the butt side or radial hinge pivot pins 37 and 38, as shown in FIGS. 3-5.

A convenient means for mounting door closure assembly 40 to roller guide bar 43 is accomplished by opening the door to its maximum position as shown in FIG. 5. Roller guide bar 43 and guide channel 46 are assembled with bumper assemblies -47 and 48 movably disposed in guide channel -46 and this assembly is mounted on the inner face of header 19 of the door jamb. Roller guide bar 43 is moved so that one end contacts bumper 47 as shown in FIG. 5 and bumper 47 is then mounted in xed position. Closure guide 41 is disposed beneath roller guide bar 43 so that vertical arm 42 of closure guide -41 is positioned directly below the center line of guide bar 43. Then an opening is provided in guide bar 43 so that vertical arm 42 may be passed therethrough and finally closure guide 41 is rigidly mounted to upper frame member 12 of door 10. The door is then closed as shown in FIG. 2 so that the other end of guide bar 43 will force bumper 48 to the position shown in FIG. 2. Then bumper 48 is mounted in a fixed position.

The door assembly employing the radial hinge of the invention described herein may be employed as original equipment for new structures or it may be added as replacement door assemblies for existing structures without the necessity of removing the original door frame assembly. Further, the original door employed on the structure may be used if desired. Where a radial hinge is employed in accordance with the invention herein for mounting a door thereon, the closure assembly may be mounted within the header assembly of the door frame, if desired, so as to conceal the assembly from view. Thus, instead of positioning the door closure assembly as described above,

the door closure assembly may be mounted within the top portion of the door member 12 in the same manner as described for determining the center pivot point. The roller guide assembly would then be mounted vertically above door member 12 in header 18 of the door jamb.

The door closure device may lbe of any conventional type, however, it must be formed having a vertical pivot arm as shown in the drawings and described herein. The as extruded aluminum, and the roller guide bar may be formed of any suitable material, such as aluminum, steel or the like. Also, in place of rollers mounted adjacent each end of the roller guide bar, pads formed of a plastic material such as tetrafluoroethylene may be mounted on the ends of guide bar 43 so that the plastic pad covers a portion of each side of the bar and contacts the inner surface of guide channel 46. Tetrailuoroethylene has the property of having a low coeicient of friction against a metal surface and therefore will slide over the metal surface with relative ease. Of course, other variations in design of guide bar 43 and channel 46 may be made so that guide bar 43 is slidably mounted within guide channel 46.

The radial hinge of the invention may be mounted directly to jamb 15 of the door frame by a pair of conventional hinges rather than the pins shown in FIG` 1.

A radial hinge of the double pivot type as described herein requires a minimum of parts for forming an assembly for mounting a door. By employing a radial hinge of the unitary type, the weight of the door is not carried solely by the lower radial arm but is carried by the entire hinge whereby the door may be opened or closed by the application of a minimum amount of force thereto.

Choice of materials may be varied greatly, for example, the radial hinge may be formed of stainless steel, chrome plated steel, brass, aluminum or an alloy thereof, or any other suitable material. The door may be of any desired material, for example, wood, metal, or as described herein, a metal frame with a glass pane.

It is obvious that many variations in design and materials may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as described herein.

I claim:

1. A door assembly of the type having a radial and translating motion and mounted within a door frame comprising: a radial hinge of the unitary type having a door mounted and supported thereon, the radial hinge having a vertical support member and a radial arm extending laterally from each end thereof and aligned along the vertical axis of the member so as to provide a hinge substantially in the form of a U, hinge pivot means formed at each end of the vertical support member of the hinge and disposed along the vertical axis of the member, means for mounting the aforementioned hinge pivot means within the door jamb, substantially adjacent the butt side of the door, door pivot means disposed at the end of each radial arm and pivotally mounted to the door for supporting the door therebetween, the hinge and door pivot means being spaced from each other a distance approximately twenty-five percent of the door opening whereby thedoor may be opened or closed by a minimum amount of force applied thereto, a door closure assembly including a guide assembly mounted on the header portion of the door jamb and a closure device disposed vertically below the guide assembly and mounted on the upper portion of the door frame, a vertical arm member mounted between the door closure device and guide assembly so as to pivotally couple the guide assembly and the closure device whereby when the door is an opened position the door closure assembly will return the door to a closed position.

2. A door assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the hinge pivot means includes a bore formed at each end of the vertical support member and aligned along the vertical axis of the member and pivot pins mounted respectively in the header and sill of the door frame adjacent the butt side of the door and disposed in vertical alignment with respect to each other, and the pivot pins References Cited disposed Within the respective bore `openinfgs for vertically UNITED STATES PATENTS and p-lvotally mounting the radial hinge 1n the door frame.

3. A door assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the 20191527 11/1935 EHISOI 49n252 door pivot means includes a door pivot pin mounted at 5 21530263 11/1950 Pereml et al 16""163 each end of the radial arms of the hinge and a door pin 2,637877 5/1953 Hanssen 49-252 retainer member mounted on the door frame and dis- 2769195 11/1956 Hanssen M 16h54 XR posed adjacent the respective door pivot pins, the door FOREIGN PATENTS retainer members having bore openings therein of a di- 390,082 7/1961 Switzerland. ameter substantlally equal to the dlameter of the door 10 pivot pins and mounted on the door pivot pins for pivot- BOBBY R- GAY Pnmary Exammer ally mounting and supporting the door therebetween. D. L, TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner 

